BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WTHR) - A fun day at the lake ended in a deadly accident on Lake Monroe Sunday.
Investigators are now trying to figure out how an 8-year-old girl ended up getting hit by a boat propeller, killing her.
"So last night at 6:30 we certainly had a tragedy here at the lake. A young girl, in her day went from big fun on the water, unfortunately, to a fatality," Indiana DNR Lt. Angela Goldman said.
The Monroe County Coroner's Office has identified the victim as 8-year-old Callee Crones-Arias from Martinsville, who was boating with her father and friends.
She suffered injuries to her chest, abdomen and lower extremities after being struck by the propeller of a boat.
"Anytime out here on the water it can turn into a tragedy in a minute and that can happen a number of ways. So it's important, so important, that you watch everyone on the boat. The smallest child to the adult they need to be safe," Goldman said. "They need to be safe around the motor and the propeller. They need their life jacket on and everybody needs to be aware of what to do in case of emergency."
While this is the first boating fatality on Lake Monroe this year, it doesn't make the loss any less painful. It is a hurtful day, not only in Monroe County, but in Martinsville, as well.
Autopsy results conducted on Tuesday revealed the cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the abdomen and has been ruled as an accident.